By Anthony Nicalo, Mobify
Every time new technology comes out, advocates pronounce all older technologies dead.
But we should take such proclamations of doom with a grain of salt. Television didn’t kill radio, radio didn’t kill books, and neither of these died with the dawn of the Internet.
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The same is true about the presumption that bots are rendering traditional apps obsolete. Technological advances aren’t linear “this or that” competitions that force marketers to choose between tools to reach audiences.
Bot technology won’t replace email, apps, or web browsers. It’s simply a new interface that provides users with a different way to navigate their devices.
Although bots might be revolutionary, brands still leverage the native functionality of mobile devices with apps. Bots are simply an interface to help guide users between apps.
How Retailers Can Leverage Technology
Whether through email, apps, or bots, most consumers ultimately communicate via mobile devices. To deliver relevant, engaging content, retailers must understand how users interact with these platforms.
1. Email Communication
Today, people read email primarily on mobile devices and process it much faster than on a desktop. It’s akin to visiting an emergency room triage instead of a general practitioner.
This raises the bar for getting your email seen, making relevancy and context key. Sending discounts via email increases the likelihood that messages will be opened and read, which establishes a dialogue with customers.
Ensure a coupon is used by incorporating clear calls to action in the email, such as a “Find a Store” hyperlink. Savvy marketers also include dynamic locations that show the closest stores based on where the email is read.
2. App and Web Communication
Native apps take mobile communications further by allowing consumers to opt in to push notifications. Because push notifications prompt immediate attention and action, they require permission. Permission-based marketing isn’t a new concept, but these days, it’s more of a basic expectation than a differentiator.
Think of the push notifications you receive surfing the web. Users don’t want to be confronted with a window that blocks access with a hard ask that forces interaction in order to continue. Aggressive marketing like this can diminish a brand’s credibility with consumers.
Instead, mobile and web-based marketing should incorporate a soft ask. Inline banners merely need to present available options that can easily be ignored. Asking users to share information, receive emails, or participate in surveys are also great soft asks.
3. Bot Communication
Mobile messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and Kik offer brands an opportunity to create bots within their platforms, providing another way for retailers to interact with customers in a personal way via social media.
Sephora has already created a chatbot on Kik that introduces itself and explains its capabilities, which include providing reviews and tips, similar to an integrated blog on an e-Commerce site.
The company personalizes this experience by quizzing users about their interests. Based on the results, it presents personalized content. Sephora’s chatbot is a great example for retailers looking to utilize bot technology to increase customer engagement.
Every company claims to put customers first, but in a digital world, it’s crucial that marketers follow that maxim.
Mobile customer engagement is a new category for retailers, combining the best of customer experience, marketing automation and mobile commerce to meet the needs and expectations of consumers. But marketers need to recognize that mobile involves personal, one-to-one marketing that can either reinforce or erode a relationship based on how it’s executed.
Whether through email, the web, apps, or bots, focus on the context and channel you’re communicating through to maximize the effectiveness of your messaging and increase your brand’s relationship with its customers.
Anthony Nicalo is the VP platform at Mobify, a mobile customer engagement platform that facilitates, in one place, all of a retailer’s real-time interactions with its mobile customers. Nicalo guides and grows the platform capabilities for serving mobile marketing and extends the platform ecosystem through partnerships. Nicalo is a thought leader in digital marketing, an expert in omnichannel commerce, and a frequent presenter on the future of commerce, mobile retailing, and shopper marketing, including at Shopper Marketing Expo, iMedia Summits, and Kantar Retail.
